The Omega Stone
by Melinda-chan
Summary: Chapter Five uploaded! Ed and Al is sent to meet a State Alchemist candidate only to find out that she's a 12 year old girl! Things heat up when the military arrive and a revolt breaks out! Will they all get out of the village safely? Read and review!
1. Chapter One

**The Omega Stone by Melinda-chan**

It was raining when we came to the town.

I do not mind the rain- I cannot feel anything in this armour skin of mine. At least I do not have to feel the cold. The same cannot be said of Brother, who looked like a walking attack of wet hay. His hair was really loose. He had his arms together, trying not to shiver.

"No wonder the Colonel didn't want to go here," I heard him say. "He probably knew it was going to rain- Achoo!"

"Brother!" I said. "Are you catching a cold?"

"A-choo!" Brother said, cupping his hands for the sneeze. "Let's find the woman as fast as we can. I want to go back to Central as soon as possible."

That was something that I don't hear from Brother very often.

"Brother! You're sicker than I thought!" I said.

"I just want to get out of the rain!" Brother said in defense. "Let's go to a house and ask for directions to the woman's place. At least we can get lodging."

So we went to a red house that was the closest to the road we were on. Brother knocked on the door.

And knocked.

And knocked.

"I see a light inside!" Brother said out loud as if he thought the people inside were deaf.

"Brother, I imagine they are-" I started to say when the door opened.

"Hello, my name is Edward Elric and I-" Brother started to say when the woman suddenly slammed the door. We both stood there in silence.

"You don't suppose they know who we are?" I said.

"Hm. I don't think I said anything that would upset her," Brother said, scratching his head.

"Maybe they know you're a State Alchemist?" I suggested.

"Let's go to another house," Brother said. "I'm freezing."

So we did- and got the same response. As soon as Brother said his name, they would look fearful and close the door.

"I don't get it!" Brother said a half-hour later. "Even if they know who I am, why are they acting like this? I haven't had time to tell them anything!" I said nothing. I didn't know how to respond to that.

"YOU!" a man's voice yelled. Brother and I looked back at the road.

There was a man standing on the road. He had a hooded coat, protecting him from the rain. I could see his dark hair sticking to his face. He looked very distressed.

"Yes?" Brother said.

"You-You better leave!" he told us.

"What!" Brother said. I could tell he was getting very annoyed.

"Leave us alone!" the man said. Brother and I looked at each other.

"We're here on a request," Brother said.

"Someone wrote to us saying she wants to be a State Alchemist," I told him.

His face turned from deep alarm to deep sadness. I almost felt sorry for him. Brother and I didn't know the full truth yet, but I did suspect something was going on.

"According to the letter, her name is Sarah Somers. Do you know where she lives?" Brother asked. The man sighed.

"She lives on a hill nearby," the man replied in a forlorn voice. He pointed to the west. "There is a road to the west of the village. Go on it until you see a sign. Follow the directions. She put the sign up there a few days ago. You must be the reason why she did that."

"Thank you sir!" Brother said, waving his right hand. We then walked away, going to the western road like he told us to.

We went on it and walked until we saw the sign. It was near a small hill. The sign reads as follows:

SARAH SOMERS' HOUSE: UP THE HILL- PLEASE KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING

"I guess we have to go up the hill," I said. I then looked at Brother. His face was a dark red. "Are you alright, Brother?"

"Let's go!" Brother said, trying to sound assertive. "I want to get this over with! I may get a hot bath too!"

So we started our walk up the hill. Midway, I heard a thud. I looked back to see Brother on the ground. I picked him up and put him over my right shoulder and went up faster than usual. I was afraid that Brother might be getting too sick and would be too weak to do his job.

"It stopped raining, Brother" I said. I was now at the top of the hill. I felt Brother getting off.

"It did stop raining" Brother said. I could see that the redness around his eyes and cheeks were still there.

"Maybe I should interview her," I said. "You need your rest."

"I'm the one that was ordered to- achoo- do this," Brother said. "I got to do this!"

"How old is she, Brother?" I asked.

"Twenty-one," Brother replied. We then reached the house. It was just a small wooden shack.

Our eyes then turned to the door. On it was a wooden sign. The engraving reads as follows:

IF NOT HERE, GO BACK OF HOUSE

We complied, walking toward the back of the shack. Our eyes widened when we saw what was there.

On the ground there was a great chalk drawing. In the middle of it there was a figure dressed in a long white robe. It was kneeling as if praying to the north. The figure then stood up and looked at us with her dark eyes. I could feel Brother go stiff. I had to say something positive.

"Wow!" I said. "That's the youngest-looking 21- year old I had ever seen!"

End of Chapter One

I am writing this story as a little break from my other stories on the days I can't do them. As such, each chapter will be done on an irregular basis. Since it's so short, I hope you all can be patient. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Please do not forget to review!


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two of "The Omega Stone" by Melinda-chan**

"May I be of assistance?" the light brown-skinned girl asked us. Her dark features contrasted with the white robe she was wearing.

"I'm Edward Elric, and this is my younger brother Alphonse," Brother said. "We are from Central. May I ask, are you really Sarah Somers?"

"Yes, but I'm called Salama as well," she replied. This caused Brother to look more closely at her.

"How old are you?" Brother asked her.

"I'm twelve years old," Sarah replied. Brother coughed, then pulled out from the envelope the paper that had her personal information on it and looked at it.

"This says that you're twenty-one years old," Brother said.

"I'm twelve years old," Sarah insisted. "Do you want proof?" At that, she almost pulled up her dress. Brother had to run in order to stop her from stripping herself.

"I believe you! I believe you!" Brother shouted. He then coughed. Sarah pulled down her dress (much to our relief- we have never seen even Winry nude) and put her hand on Brother's forehead. I also became concerned.

"Your aura tells me that you're sick" Sarah said. "You should get better before you start your assessment. I can give you some medicine and a place to rest."

"I'm not sick!" Brother protested. I then heard him sneeze.

"You are sick," I said. "Please don't make it worse, Brother." I didn't hear him protest, so I counted that as a good thing.

"We should go inside my place," Sarah said. "It's small, and it doesn't have electricity or plumbing or anything like that. Still it's a lot better than staying out here in the cold, don't you think?" I had to agree, so I helped her bring Brother into her home.

"I must apologize for everything," Sarah said. She was now holding a candle as we walked in her home. "I have been so busy in fixing this place up and my study room is still a mess."

"That's alright," I said. "We are alchemists. We have seen lots of study rooms before and- oh!"

I then saw her study room, which led me to exclaim that last part. Books- some opened, some closed- was over the place, including a big wooden table that seemed to have been handmade. Papers were also all over the place. I could tell most have been hand-written- the ink on some of the papers looked fresh.

"You can lay him down on this cot," Sarah said. So I put Brother on it. She went to him.

"His head feels very warm," Sarah said, putting her right hand on his forehead. "I will prepare the tea now. Do you want me to polish you too? You can't eat in that condition right?"

"You mean you want to polish my armour?" I said. I had to admit that I was touched by her offer, but I did have a question. "How did you know that I have no body?"

"You don't have an aura or at least I can't detect it" Sarah said. "And I do know that you don't have any lungs or a heart or do you?"

"Uh…" I started to say, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm not going to ask how you got to be like that," Sarah said. "I'm just a girl, but I still would like to polish you."

"You got armour polish?" I asked her.

"Only silverware polish," Sarah said. "But it should still work on you."

"Okay," I said. She then smiled, and left. I turned away. "This is the first time someone offered to polish my armour since I became a suit of armour!"

I then heard kissy noises behind me.

"Al and Sarah sitting on a tree…" Brother's voice caused me to look back. I saw Brother sitting up, making kissy faces at me.

"Brother, that's immature!" I protested.

"Methinks, my younger brother is in love," Brother said.

"I-I am not! I mean, we both came just to see her, right?" I said. Why did I feel like hitting him?

"So what do you really think of her?" Brother asked. I looked around the room.

"Well, uh, she's really been busy" I said. I picked up a piece of paper. "I mean, I don't know what this code is."

"Code?" Brother said. I could tell from his voice that he was interested. I then brought him the paper.

Brother's eyes were red due to the cold but he kept looking at it despite rubbing his eyes a few times. I looked at it too.

"It seem to be some sort of language, not just a code," Brother said. The marks were in shapes that resembled forks and lines. There were a few dots in some words as well and after a few words, though those could be periods. But they appear to be highly structured, like a real language.

"I got the tea and polish!" Sarah's voice caused us to look back at her.

"You really are going to polish my armour?" I said.

"Why should I lie to you?" Sarah said. She then looked at Brother. "Here's your tea. Be careful when picking it up. It's still hot!"

"I didn't mean to burden you like this," Brother said, accepting the cup.

"I'm happy to assist you" Sarah said. "After all, I plan on becoming a State Alchemist just like you." This caused Brother to think.

"Why do you want to become a State Alchemist anyway?" Brother asked.

"Because there is something I need to find out and the military may be the only thing that can help me," Sarah replied. "Isn't that why you join the military, Mr. Elric?"

"Yeah" Brother said. "You can call me Ed or Edward by the way."

"So you know what we did?" I asked her.

"You mean you partaking in human transmutation?" Sarah said.

"Did you?" Brother asked her. He sounded like the cold was affecting him again.

"As you can see, I was left unscathed by my experiment," Sarah said. "But I felt I did lose something."

"You mean you partook in human transmutation, but didn't lose anything?" Brother said almost in disbelief. He then coughed.

"You need to drink the tea, Edward," Sarah commanded. "You need to cleanse your body of the germs that threaten you."

"Please do so," I said. "We wouldn't be able to leave until you get well."

"I know," Brother said. I then saw him drink the tea, which relieved me. He then looked at Sarah again. "You do know what you're getting yourself into, do you?"

"I know," Sarah said. "Are those for me?" She pointed to the big envelope he still had in his left hand.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Here you go." He then handed her the envelope.

"You should rest now," Sarah said. "I'll look over these papers myself." Brother was probably too willing, as he quickly went back on the cot and closed his eyes. She then turned to me.

"I hope it wasn't too difficult to find this place," Sarah said. "I didn't want to make this place too inaccessible."

"Oh no!" I said. "I mean, we had to knock on a lot of houses and only a man on the street told us where to go. The people here have been very unfriendly."

"Please forgive them," Sarah said in a low voice. "We could see the smokes of Ishbal from the southeast. Our humble village was also overrun by the military. There were even a few skirmishes here. People still live in fear of anyone from the military, especially a State Alchemist." I didn't reply- I knew from what happened to our town what could have happened here.

"So you want to become a State Alchemist anyway?" Brother asked from the cot.

"You know the answer to that already," Sarah said. "You must rest now. If you do not, your sickness will not go away." I then saw Brother close his eyes again.

"He must be drowsy by now," she said to me. "Now that he's finally asleep, I'll be able to go through this." Sarah then went to the table and started to go through the papers.

"Where did you get all of these books?" I said, looking around the place.

"I got them from people that didn't want them anymore," Sarah said. "But I can no longer understand most of them."

"Why not?" I asked. Her answer shocked me.

"Because I lost all my past knowledge in the exchange," Sarah replied. I was about to ask what she meant when she looked at me. "I forgot to polish your armour! I'm so sorry!" She then took the polish from the tray (it was still on the floor where Brother put it) and grabbed a cloth from a container on her table. I sat down on the chair.

"This polish is supposed to polish anything metal though I use it mostly for shoe polish," Sarah said. I wished I could blush, because I would be so red. A girl was polishing ME!

"Tell me, Alphonse, was your older brother recruited or did he personally apply to become a State Alchemist?" Sarah asked.

"He had to personally apply, but the Colonel did come to us first," I said.

"The young one?" Sarah inquired.

"He is young for being a Colonel," I said. "Did you met him before?"

"The one with black hair?" Sarah said. "The one called the 'Flame Alchemist?'"

"Yes" I said.

"I have" Sarah replied. She then looked at the consent form. "I signed my name on the consent form. Is that all you came here for?"

"Brother can only answer that," I replied, trying to hide my uneasy feeling.

"He'll not be able to go anywhere in his state anyway," Sarah said. She then put down the polish and grabbed a bunch of papers in the bookshelf. "I must continue my research. If you excuse me-"

"Wait!" I said. "Your papers are all in code, right? Or is it a real language?"

"If you think about it, all languages are codes," Sarah replied. "I know it's your job to see if I'm qualified or not. I must make sure that I have the necessary knowledge to pass the State Alchemy exam, or at least know where I need help."

"But why do you want to be a State Alchemist so badly?" I had to ask her.

"I told you why already," Sarah said. "But it's not the same thing that you two are seeking. In fact, it's just the opposite. If you excuse me-" She then left without saying another word.

'The opposite?' I thought. What could be the opposite of the Philosopher's Stone? I wanted to ask Brother, but he was asleep, and he would be too sick to answer anyway. I decided to go through her room. Except for the books, all of her materials were in that forklike language of hers. I went through one-third of the books by the time night fell, but none could tell me what she meant.

I figured it was around eight o'clock when I put back the last book I read that day. The lamp was dimming- most of its fat was gone from the candle. I saw Brother still sleeping, which was just as well.

I then heard a noise- it was the shack door. I walked as quietly as possible (not that easy for a suit of armour) to the door. I heard nothing.

"Sarah?" I said out loud. There was no response.

'Did she went outside?' I thought. I then went outside. The air felt so silent- I could hear cicadas close by.

I then saw a small light further ahead. I went down to the ground, hoping not to be seen. There were a few trees but none had thick trunks to hide my body. I slowly crawled closer to the light. I then heard a voice.

"Salama, how could you-!"

I then heard the response. It was Sarah talking back.

"Are you so impatient that you cannot discern the times?"

What was going on?

End of Chapter Two

Sorry for the delay. I had to rewrite a few pages. In any event, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. It looks like Al stumbled into something important, eh? So what will happen next? What other secrets is Sarah hiding? Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three of "The Omega Stone" by Melinda-chan**

I thought I couldn't feel anything since I became a suit of armour, but I felt a tingle go down the back of my armour right about then. I knew I was eavesdropping, but I didn't think I could leave- if I stood up, my big body would have been noticed immediately.

"Salama, do not think we lost faith-" a woman said.

"You people are worried that by me joining the refiners I would be bloodguilty?" Sarah said. "Or are you afraid that the military will come here and take over the village again?"

'Bulls-eye!' I thought.

"But Salama, you know what they have done to our spiritual brothers in-" a voice started to say.

"I'm well aware of the smoke that we all saw coming from Ishbal," Sarah said. "The first refinement is just about done. The second refinement will begin soon. It's my hope that I can find the Omega Stone before that starts. It can't be guaranteed that the records will still be there when it's all over."

'The Omega Stone?' I thought. 'The refinement?'

"But why become a State Alchemist?" another woman questioned. "Do you think there'll not be another war?"

"Another war may be imminent," Sarah replied. "I have heard of rumours from the north and the west. If that's the case, then I should become a State Alchemist now."

"But Salama-" another woman started to protest.

"Don't worry about me," Sarah said. "I plan on going to the concealer of secrets and he'll help me."

'Concealer of secrets?' I thought. Why is she speaking like this? I wondered.

"But Salama, if war is declared, what would you do?" a man asked. "Will you obey their orders if it means killing innocent people?"

"A year," Sarah said. "A year is all I need to see the second refinement in full force." She then paused. "But if I have to see the flames of hell then I'll see them!"

"Salama you-" another woman shouted. I then heard something like a commotion going on. I was curious about what was taking place, but I didn't want to get up and risk being seen.

"You dare try to strike a fellow member of the faith?" Sarah said in a stern voice. "If you want to accuse the State of such treachery, you should be careful about your own actions." There was no reply. "Is there anything else you all want to say to me?" There was no answer to that one too. "Very well then. This session is over! In the name of God, go in peace!" At that, I heard over a dozen footsteps walking away. I also heard whispers, some of them unpleasant. I was so glad that no one came my way.

"You can get up now, Alphonse," Sarah said. I was so shocked that I got up immediately. I saw her sitting at the bottom of the circle with the white robe on.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"I felt your footsteps off the ground," Sarah replied. "They were too great to be from Edward, and my home is the only thing back there, so it had to be yours."

"Wow!" I said, impressed by her deduction. "I'm sorry that I overheard everything! Did something happen?"

"Oh no!" Sarah said, waving her hands in a dismissive manner. "I knew that you would be awake, I mean, you can't sleep, right?"

"That's right," I said. "What did happen though? Why did they keep calling you 'Salama?' What is the Omega Stone and 'the concealer of secrets'? What do you mean by the first and second refinements?" I saw her sigh under the dim moonlight.

"The concealer of secrets should be obvious to you, but…" she then paused. "I don't want to add any more burden on you. Are you sure that you want to know?"

"I'm not sure," I said honestly. "But I do want to know what you mean by the first and second refinements. The war wasn't a refinement."

"No outright killing of innocent people can be justified," Sarah told me. "But I wasn't the one that originated the term 'refinement.'"

"Oh?" I said. "Did it come from one of your…prophets?" I had to think before I could say the word.

"You can say that" Sarah said. She then started walking so I followed her. "You do know that the Ishbalan people forbid alchemy, right?"

"Yes," I answered. "They consider it as a perversion of God's creation."

"In a sense it is," Sarah said. I looked at her in surprise. "It's a twisting of the natural form. But that doesn't mean it's wrong."

"So why did you decide that becoming a State Alchemist was the right thing to do?" I asked.

"I never said that it was the right thing to do," Sarah said. "I just don't see any other options." She then looked up at me. "Surely your older brother would agree with me." I would have sighed if I could.

"I didn't want Brother to go on this path," I said. "I'm scared what would happen if he had to go to war. I'm really scared of that." I then looked at her shack. "But I know that there aren't any other options too. I just hope that we wouldn't go through anything that will leave us with deep regrets."

"Life can't guarantee no regrets," Sarah said. "But you should know that the Ishbalans didn't always forbid alchemy."

"Why did they forbid it then?" I asked.

"Ishbal was once the home of alchemists just like here," Sarah said. "But they prefer to focus on the spiritual side, rather just matter manipulation."

"Alchemy is the analysis, deconstruction and reconstruction of physical things," I said. "But I do wonder what led the Ishbalans to forbid alchemy."

"They recognize what could happen when it's misused," Sarah told me. "You do remember the story about the Eastern Philosopher, don't you?"

"Of course!" I replied. "A philosopher living in the Eastern Desert wiped out an entire country because he tried to create a homunculus. Brother thought it was just a myth."

"It's no myth, and it wasn't an accident," Sarah said. "The Ishbalans, who lived nearby, were aware of what happened and became concerned. It became obvious that alchemy had its dangers as well."

"I heard that the Ishbalans forbid alchemy because they regard it a sin to deface God's creation," I said.

"Not all of them believe that it had to be banned because of that," Sarah said. "One of them, a priest's daughter, tried to warn her people that if the nations surrounding them continue to develop alchemy as a power, it'll only be a matter of time before one of those nations will use it for evil purposes, and turn it against them."

"So what about the first and second refinements?" I questioned.

"She believed that by turning back on alchemy, her people will only be left behind," Sarah said. "She therefore predicted three refinements, as she called them, that will occur. The first one was said to be by a fire that will scatter her people like the wind."

"So you think the war was the first refinement?" I asked her.

"The prophecy did seem to describe what happened," Sarah answered.

"So what were the other refinements?" I was really curious now.

"The second refinement will involve the country from which the first refinement will come from. She said that it will be consumed by another fire and the fire will be in all the four corners of the country. I never understood what she meant by that, but this country is in dire need of refinement," Sarah told me.

"And what about the third?" I asked.

"The third will refine the entire world by God's will," Sarah said. "The Ishbalans always looked forward to that time. But there have been disputes on how He will do it."

"So how did you know about all of this?" I asked.

"My knowledge told me," Sarah answered. "Perhaps it came from Salama herself."

"Are you saying that you may be her reincarnation?" I asked.

"Such a belief wasn't found among the Ishbalans" Sarah answered.

"But the way you said it-" I started to say.

"It doesn't matter," Sarah said. "The Ishbalans didn't heed her warnings and had the first refinement happen to them. Despite what my villagers may believe, I'm no prophetess. All I do is tell everyone what was already being said."

"So that's why Brother and I got such a cold reception!" I said. "Do you know if there are other villages like this?"

"Ishbal may have fallen but it's not destroyed," Sarah replied. "Many people in the east hated the military for the atrocities they caused. There were many places where the Ishbalan refugees were welcomed. And where the Ishbalans found refuge, they sought to share the reason for their suffering. I don't have proof, but I'm convinced that there are now more Amestrian believers than even before the war started. Our faith has been the glue that held us together, and it'll likely keep us as one when the government and the military will only exist in history books. They can destroy people, but they can't destroy faith. At least not true faith." She then looked at me. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think I do," I said frankly.

"There's another reason why I have to be a State Alchemist," Sarah said. "Something or someone is goading me to become one. I think it's Salama wanting me to do something other than finding the Omega Stone. I'm not sure what to be exact, but I feel I'm taking the right steps to finding out."

"What's the Omega Stone?" I questioned.

"It's a substance that can end anything," Sarah replied. "If you want something to end, the Omega Stone will do it. This is opposed to the Philosopher's Stone, which is only supposed to create or re-create."

"But why do you need the Omega Stone?" I questioned. She didn't respond. "Sarah?"

"I'm getting tired," she said. "You should check on your older brother now." I was taken a little aback. I didn't offend her, did I?

"I'm so sorry! I should do it now!" I said. I then entered the shack and found my way to Sarah's study room, where he was being kept. Actually, it wasn't very hard to find him, considering that I could hear his ragged breathing when I entered the shack.

I heard him coughing suddenly. Fearing that he could be choking on his own saliva, I placed him up on the cot. I have never seen him this bad, not since he was recovering from the auto-mail surgery he had when he was eleven.

"I see that the poison is having effect," Sarah said, appearing behind me. I became shocked.

"You poisoned Brother?" I said. "Why did you do that?"

"I just said that the drug is having effect," Sarah said. "All drugs are poisons, though some are more poisonous for some than others." I couldn't refute her on that.

"When will he be better?" I asked.

"In a day or so," Sarah replied. "The toxins shall be out of his system by then. He'll need to rest for another day to regain his strength. I only hope that I can keep him here until you can get him out of here."

"All right…" I said nervously.

"You should stay here by your older brother's side until the morning," Sarah said. "I need to sleep now."

"Oh yeah!" I said, realizing that it was getting late. "Good night, Sarah."

"Good night Alphonse. Wake me up if you need anything," Sarah said. She then left the room. I spent the rest of the night watching Brother and thinking about what happened that night.

It was around sunrise that I heard that Sarah talking to someone. The voice sounded a little familiar.

"Sarah, I am warning you to reconsider your decision!" the voice said.

"But Father, I already sent the letter!" Sarah said. "And they sent me a State Alchemist! The one that's a boy!"

I then peeked at them from the corner of the door. I was shocked to discover who the man she was talking was- it was the man that Brother and I met the day before!

End of Chapter Three

It looks like Al is eavesdropping again! (laughs) Things are going to get more serious from now on. With the village's animosity rising against them, can Sarah protect Ed and Al, while Ed is still sick? And what will happen to the village if the military hears about it? Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Please don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four of "The Omega Stone" by Melinda-chan**

I couldn't believe what I was seeing- the man that told Brother and I to leave earlier was in the shack with Sarah!

"You said that they sent the boy…you mean…?" the man said. I then saw the man look at me. It was too late for me to hide myself.

"Oh! This is Alphonse Elric, he's not a State Alchemist," Sarah said. "Alphonse, this is my father, Roger Somers."

"Uh hi" I said. I then saw him go toward me. I felt myself go nervous- I hate it when people do this.

"You're not the Fullmetal Alchemist?" the man said in disbelief. I really hate it when this happens.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," I said. "My older brother's the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"I see…" he said. " Where is he then?"

"Asleep," I said. I decided not to say anything more.

"How long are you planning to stay here?" he then asked me. I felt like I was being interrogated.

"Father! They're my guests!" Sarah said. "If you want to speak to them, please don't talk to them like they're criminals!" I was taken aback by her change of attitude- she seemed very upset right now compared with her calm demeanour yesterday.

I then saw him look up at me again. Now I really felt self-conscious. He then looked back at Sarah.

"Do you really want to go with them?" he asked her.

"I'm not going with them…yet," Sarah replied.

"Sarah, you're too young to even think of such a thing!" he told her. I had the feeling that he was going to make all kinds of excuses now.

"But Father, I'm not going to become one right away!" Sarah said.

"Sarah, do you know what ruckus you've raised because of this?" he asked.

"Father, you know that I have to start my own path, and that I cannot be Salama forever-" Sarah started to say when her father took a step forward.

"AND I'M SAYING THAT YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Roger shouted. I decided to step in or there might be a big argument soon.

"Excuse me, but if you're going to be loud, Brother is still sleeping," I said. He then looked at me for a few seconds, and then looked back at Sarah.

"I'm warning you!" her father said. "I can't control them if they decided to do something to you!"

"If they do, then the military will come again for sure," Sarah said. She then put her right hand on her chest. "Please, Father, I have to do this! I don't know the full reason myself, but you must believe in me!"

"I hope you're right," her father said. Without saying another word, he then left. I saw her become very sad.

"I'm so sorry-" I started to say when she dismissively waved her hand.

"It's not your fault," Sarah said. "In fact, I should've been more careful. I should've just went to Central myself-"

"NO!" I yelled. I then realized what I did. "I mean, you did fine. This is the way State Alchemist candidates are assessed…I think."

"I'm more worried about your older brother now," Sarah said. "If he still is too sick to leave, I'll have to protect him somehow."

"You really think that they would-" I started to say when she moved her hand back and forth.

"I think you should see Edward now," Sarah said. "He's likely still too weak to go anywhere, but don't tell him anything right now, do you understand?"

"I do," I replied. I then went to her study room. I was surprised to see Brother up on the cot, reading a book

"Brother!" I said, very happy to see him up. "How are you? Are you feeling better?"

"She'll pass" Brother said.

"What?" I said.

"Almost every book has that code of hers in it," Brother said. "She must've studied hard." He then closed the book and looked up at me. "She could really do it."

"So what are we going to do?" I asked. He then looked at the other side of the room. I seldom think about the great responsibilities Brother has as a State Alchemist, but right now I could really see the weariness on his face.

"If I gave you the password, will you call the Colonel?" Brother asked.

I soon found myself at the post office calling Central HQ. I was very nervous, not only because it was my first time that I phoned Central HQ, but a lot of people were starting to stare at me. I had no idea whether it was because of my suit of armour or that I was making a phone call. I decided to be very discreet when talking to Mustang.

"Central HQ, hello?" a woman's voice said.

"May you get Colonel Mustang?" I requested. "I'm speaking in behalf of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"I'm sorry, but we don't allow calls from outside-" she started to say when I interrupted her.

"Ma'am, I'm calling from Easterlin Post Office," I said. "Brother is too sick to make a phone call right now. He was supposed to call Colonel Mustang. Please let me through!" I started to sound desperate.

"May I have a code please?" the woman said. If I had a pair of lungs, I would have taken a deep breath.

"Alright, it's uncle-sugar-oliver-eight-zero-zero!" I said as fast as I could.

"Code confirmed. One moment please," the woman said. I waited for a few minutes. I started to feel a bit impatient. It was just him to leave the desk when I had to call.

"Colonel Mustang, hello?" I heard him say.

"Colonel!" I said.

"Who's this?" I heard him ask. I was taken aback until I realized this is my first time talking to him on the phone.

"It's me, Alphonse! Edward Elric's little brother!" I said.

"Alphonse? What are YOU calling me for?" I then heard him ask. Oh oh. Did I get Brother into trouble?

"Uh, um, sir, Brother, I mean Edward is sick and can't call you-" I started to say.

"Sick with what?" the Colonel asked.

"I suspect it's a cold," I answered.

"Fine. Did you arrive in Easterlin?" the Colonel asked.

"Yes sir!" I replied.

"Did you find Sarah Somers?" the Colonel asked.

"Yes sir!" I replied. "But she's not 21 years old!"

"Ah yes," the Colonel said. "I had a feeling that the information wasn't totally accurate."

"Sir?" I said.

"Anyway, tell your older brother I expect a full report once you both get back here. Don't stay any longer than you have to. Do you understand?" the Colonel was starting to bear me down.

"Yes sir!" I said.

"And tell Edward to prepare for a little talk with me. You will tell him that, will you?" the Colonel said.

"Sir-!" I never had the chance to finish.

"Good! Go back to Central as fast as you can! That's an order!" the Colonel said. He then hanged up on me. To say I was upset would be an understatement.

"He didn't get me to say what I wanted to say!" I said. I then looked at the phone. "I could call him again but he would probably say the same thing. I guess I just have to tell Brother what he told me." I then saw a little girl looking up at me. "Do you want to use this phone?"

"Uh huh" the girl then nodded.

"Sorry about that," I said. I then moved away. "I'll be going now." At that, I left the post office. Everyone that was outside turned to look at me. I was used to this, but the stares were a bit colder than usual…

If I knew what would happen next, I would've put Brother upon my shoulders and got ourselves out of there as fast as I could. But of course I didn't know.

I found Brother topless on the cot with Sarah atop of him. I did what most people would've done I'm sure.

"I'm so sorry, Brother!" I blurted out. I then waved my hands in panic mode. "I'll leave you two to do whatever you're doing!" I was about to leave when I heard Brother's voice.

"What do you think we're doing, Al?" he asked.

"I'm just putting a poultice on his chest," Sarah explained. I then saw the cloth on Brother's chest. A bit of yellow was coming out of the cloth.

"Oh!" I said. If I could've blush, I would've done it.

"What do you think we were doing?" Brother asked me again.

"Oh nothing!" I said. I would be red all over if I had my skin back on.

"You went out, didn't you?" Sarah asked.

"Yes" I replied. She then got off Brother, which relieved me.

"I'll go out and make some more tea," Sarah said. "I'll also get another blanket as well." She then left, rather quickly, in my opinion.

"Brother, what did she put on you?" I asked.

"Mustard," Brother answered. He then peeled the cloth off himself. I couldn't help putting my iron hand to my mouth (or at least where my mouth should be) as I tried not to laugh.

"Brother, you got yellow all over your chest!" I said. Brother then sat up.

"She told me that a mustard poultice could help my cold," Brother said. He then wrapped the cloth. Yellow came oozing out of it and onto his hands. I wished I could smile.

"So tell me, Al," Brother said, looking up at me. "What did the Colonel say?"

"Well…" I started to say. I then recalled what the Colonel told me. As I did so, I saw Brother's face distort in fear.

"I'm in real trouble now!" Brother said, sweat coming down his face. He then sneezed.

"Brother, you're too sick to leave this house!" I said. "I know that you usually make the report, but there was no other choice! I'm sure that the Colonel would understand!" 'At least I hope so,' I thought.

"I hope you're right, Al," Brother said, inadvertently rubbing his face with the poultice cloth. "I hate to be lectured by him as if I was a little kid!" His face was tinged with yellow. I couldn't help myself.

"Brother, your face…it's all yellow!" I said, pointing at him.

"Yeah?" Brother said. He then threw the cloth on me. "Now you got yellow too!"

"Brother!" I said. Just then, we heard Sarah's voice.

"I got more tea!" Sarah said, coming into the room. She then saw the yellow on Brother and me and screeched.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you had jaundice!" Sarah apologized to Brother a few minutes later. We were now outside walking. "Now I'll give you a bath!"

Brother was wrapped in a blanket but was still topless. Sarah was carrying a small tub with soap, washcloths and a few other items. She was ahead of us, since we had to follow her.

"Is it a real hot spring?" Brother asked.

"Oh, I can make it hot if you want," Sarah said.

"Well, not too hot" Brother said. She then stopped.

"This is it" Sarah said. Brother and I both looked down and saw a big water hole. A few trees were by it, giving us some privacy. We then saw Sarah put her hand into the water.

"It feels a bit cool," Sarah said. She then looked back at Brother. "Do you want it to be warmer?"

"You can do that?" Brother asked.

"Oh yes!" Sarah replied. "Do you want me to demonstrate?" Brother and I looked at each other. Why not?

"Sure!" Brother said. Sarah then turned to the water hole.

"I shall do it then," she said. She then took her staff from the tub and put it into the water. She then turned it left three times and then clapped. All of a sudden, the sky turned very, very dark.

"The air just turned warm. What is-" Brother started to ask when a bolt of lightning came out of the sky.

"Eep!" I yelled instinctively. I should have known that unless the lightning cracked the blood rune inside of me, I would be safe, but the human side of me cringed.

Of course, Brother was terrified. Having a metallic arm and leg probably made him more nervous than he would normally care to admit. As it was, he jumped back away from Sarah, whose staff was struck by the bolt of lightning.

"There, it's heated," Sarah said. She then looked back. "I hope it's not too warm, um, Edward?" I then realized that he was now behind me.

"Brother, the lightning's gone," I said. I should've done something else at his expense, but I felt more surprised than amused by Brother's reaction.

"How-how did you do that?" Brother asked. Sarah blinked.

"The same you do," Sarah replied. "Though I used a different method." I thought Brother was going to say something, but he didn't.

"You should take a dip and see if it's alright," Sarah suggested to Brother. Brother went down and touched the water with his left hand.

"Hey! It is warm!" Brother said. I then looked back at her.

"You can summon lightning?" I asked.

"I can control all the four elements," Sarah replied. "This staff I used helps me to direct the power to the appropriate target."

"You mean fire, air, earth and water" Brother asked.

"Yes," Sarah said. "As you may know, lightning is caused when clouds carrying opposite charges come in close contact with one another, and then gets attracted to the charges in the ground."

"So in order to do that, you need both cold and warm air to meet," Brother said. He then placed his left hand into the water again. "This is about right."

"I got soap and towels and washcloths and a change of clothes for you" Sarah said. She then looked up at me. "I'm sorry but I don't know how to remove mustard from your armour, Alphonse."

"That's okay," I said. "Brother and I will find a way to get rid of the mustard somehow." Sarah then smiled.

"I'll leave you for half an hour" Sarah said. "I need to do more research for my alchemy examination."

"You don't have to worry," Brother said. "All you have to do is transmutate something. You don't have to spend too much time on that."

"But I do have to take a written examination, don't I?" Sarah asked.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," Brother said. He then looked down again. "Do you mind leaving now?"

"Oh yes!" Sarah said. "Excuse me then!" She then left us. Brother then took the rest of his clothes and put himself into the water.

"Oh that feels nice!" Brother said. I wished that I could smile, because Brother really did look better.

"I wish that I could go in with you," I said.

"You could, but you could rust" Brother said. I never thought anyone would say that to me five years ago.

"You can rust too, Brother," I teased. I then saw him cough. "Are you okay?"

"Just a cough. I actually feel a lot better now," Brother said. He then lowered his eyes. "Al, do you know why she wants to become a State Alchemist for?"

"Didn't she already told us?" I asked, hoping that he would change the subject.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five of "The Omega Stone" by Melinda-chan**

"Edward, what did you say?" Sarah asked.

"I heard a few gunshots" Brother answered. "It was from the direction of the village, so I got out of the bath as quickly as I could, and I really liked it."

"Was it from one gun, two guns or more?" Sarah inquired.

"There was definitely more than one gun," Brother replied. At that, Sarah nodded.

"I was afraid of this," she said. "Follow me." We then followed her to the study room. She then went under the table.

"What are we going to do?" I asked. I then saw Sarah take out a rifle case. "Is that what I think it is?"

"The military have been in our village before," Sarah said. "Our village have been in arms, literally, since then."

"Your village will not stand a chance against them-" Brother started to say when Sarah took out the bullets and started loading the rifle.

"I don't think you should worry about that," Sarah said. She then aimed her rifle to the other side of the wall and fired at it. "It's ready." She then reloaded it.

"Do you really think that your village would attack the military?" Brother asked.

"I hope not," Sarah replied. "But I've been warned about a possible conflict. I'm not really a prophetess, but I know that things can get very ugly if it hasn't gone that far already." She then looked at Brother. "Did you get your clothes?"

"I heard the gunshots so I wrapped myself around the waist and ran back here" Brother explained. She then looked at me.

"Go out and get his clothes!" Sarah ordered me.

"Oh yes!" I said. I was about to leave when I heard her say, "Don't forget the other stuff!"

I ran as fast as my armoured body could take me, right to the water hole. I saw that he used the soap and washcloth but his clothes weren't touched since he took them off.

'I don't hear anything,' I thought as I put everything in the tub. Of course, I couldn't smell any gunpowder or blood, so I had no idea what happened or if anybody was killed.

I went back to the shack and found Sarah showing Brother how to use the rifle. I was surprised to see the interest that Brother showed. I don't think Brother as a violent person (short-tempered person, yes) though I suppose there was nothing else to do until I came back.

"Brother! Sarah!" I said. I then put down the tub.

"Good!" Sarah said. She then gave the tub to Brother. "Put these on as fast as you can. If you need me to put these on for you, I can-"

"I can do it myself," Brother said. I don't think any girl ever saw him naked (unless Mom counts) and I'm sure that he didn't want Sarah to be the first.

"Very well" Sarah said. She then turned to me. "Alphonse, I want you to do something that's very urgent. You must listen carefully."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Find Father" Sarah said. "Find him and bring him here, Alphonse! I want him safe with us!"

"Yes!" I said.

"Quickly!" Sarah added. I then ran outside, went down the hill and ran back to the village.

I knew that something was wrong when an old man (well, he was in his fifties at least) with a gun in his hand ran at me. I stood there apprehensively.

"Um sir?" I asked. He then looked up at me and then pointed his gun at me. "Sir?"

"You're with the State Alchemist kid?" the old man asked. I put up my armoured hands. I knew that I wouldn't get hurt, but I was afraid that the ricochet could hurt the man.

"Don't shoot me sir!" I said. "Why do you want to know?"

"You called the military here, didn't you?" the man said. "Now, they came here to control this town again. I know that we cannot hide forever, but did you had to make them come here now? We're literally up in arms over this. We've had enough of the military! Now that we're rebelling, everything will be like when they came here before. I'm just an old man!" He then sobbed.

"I really feel for you, believe me," I said. "I've seen what some of them have done. I didn't agree with Brother when he decided to become a State Alchemist, but we have to pursue our own path, and I didn't want to leave Brother behind."

"He's still a dog of the state," the man said, shaking his head. "And now, Sarah wants to be one too. How many more of our young folk will follow your brother?"

I was about to speak when I realized that the man was crying again. I then felt bad. When Brother decided to become a State Alchemist, he became the youngest ever to succeed. But by doing so, he had caused other young people to believe that they can do it too. I don't know how many more had done it so far, but even Sarah herself said that she knew about Brother becoming a State Alchemist when he was twelve. If it weren't for him, she might've waited until she was older. I know that Sarah was aware of what lies ahead of her, but how many others would have the same foresight?

"Speaking of Sarah, do you know where her father is?" I asked.

"Ever since they came, everyone have been scattered about," the man said. "I don't know where he is. He might not be even alive."

"What?" I said. "The military wouldn't killing people at random-"

"Why not?" the man said. "They did during the war." I was about to reply to that when he shook his head. "I'm an old man. I've seen enough horror to send me to my grave. If you can just get them to leave, please do." I was about to say something in response but realized that I've wasted enough time and started walking away. I then heard him say, "And don't come back!"

'How rude!' I thought as I walked away. Still, I know why he reacted like that. This whole village was like a bomb waiting to go off and Brother and I was the spark that ignited it.

As I walked, I saw more signs of a revolt- smoke from houses, blood stains on walls and the ground, walls painted with slogans like "FOR ISHBAL!" and "PAY BACK TIME!" I then felt a bit nervous. I better find Sarah's father soon and get us both out of here.

I then saw a couple of soldiers walking. When they saw me, they pointed their rifles at me. I put up my hands, not wanting them to see me as a threat.

"Please don't shoot!" I said. "You can't shoot me anyway. Your bullets will bounce off me."

"Who are you then?" the redhead asked.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," I replied. "I'm the younger brother of Edward Elric." Would they believe me? I thought.

"Edward Elric? You mean the Fullmetal Alchemist?" the redhead said.

"Yes!" I replied. They then looked at each other and looked back at me.

"Where's your older brother?" the redhead asked.

"He's with the State Alchemist candidate," I replied. "Do you know where your commander is?"

"General Hakuro is at the community hall," the brown-haired man said.

"Do you know where that is?" I asked. I was then led to the community hall where it was surrounded by guards. I then walked inside and saw him talking to a bunch of soldiers, likely giving orders.

"General Hakuro?" I said. He then turned to look at me. I saw that he was trying to remember who I was. "I'm Alphonse Elric, the younger brother of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"I was told that Colonel Mustang did send someone to this place," Hakuro said. "You two doing your job?"

"Yes, sir" I said. "Actually, I'm here to see a if man called Roger Somers is here. He's the father of the State Alchemist candidate we had to go and see. She wants to know if he's still here."

"We've had a lot of activity going on," Hakuro explained. "We had to take down a lot of rebels lately. I don't think I've heard of the man. Do you know what he looks like?"

"He has brown hair and light blue eyes," I said. I then thought of something else. "Sir, what is happening here? I was aware that many people here don't like the military but Brother got sick and-"

"If he's sick, then we must ensure that he get back to Central safely," Hakuro said. "When we got here, a bunch of those nuts came and tried to drive us out of this place. We had a job to do so we stayed put. Still, I can't believe how many weapons they had. It seemed as if they were prepared for us for a very long time. As I said, we got many of them but it looks like I have to keep a few patrols around to ensure the peace. Where does this woman that Colonel Mustang sent you two to evaluate live anyway?"

"First of all, she's only 12," I said. Hakuro looked shocked.

"I thought that she was 21!" he roared. "What's with his obsession with 12-year olds?"

"I don't know sir," I said. I would've sighed if I had air to sigh with. I then heard Hakuro sigh.

"Fine. Where does this girl that Colonel Mustang sent you two to evaluate live anyway?" Hakuro asked.

"It's on a hill" I told him. "It's on the left side of the village. There's a sign before you get there-"

"Did you hear any shooting when you were there?" Hakuro asked.

"Brother said that he heard a few gunshots when he was at the water hole," I said. "He said that it sounded like a skirmish." Hakuro then looked sad.

"Now it's beginning to make sense" Hakuro said. "Alphonse, I have to show you something."

"What is it?" I asked. Hakuro then looked at two of his men, who nodded. He then looked back at me.

"Come with me," Hakuro said. I had a bad feeling about this, but I went with him anyway.

He and the two soldiers then took me to a makeshift morgue at the back of the hall. I then went inside one of the tents. If I had my lungs back, I would've gasped.

There were rows and rows of corpses. All of them were covered with a white sheet. Some had spots of blood on them.

"How could you've killed so many people?" I couldn't help saying to Hakuro.

"Not all of these people were killed by my soldiers," Hakuro said. "There have been in-fighting as well."

"In-fighting?" I asked. "You mean that they're actually killing each other?"

"Factions without a doubt," Hakuro said. "I don't know what happened initially because we weren't here yet but it seemed that even a State Alchemist made these people nervous. Your older brother fell ill so we had to come to make sure that you both went back to Central safely. It seemed, though, that the people thought our presence was a prelude to an attack."

"But why would you get an entire squad to get us?" I asked.

"You didn't hear me," Hakuro said. "We're here to make sure that you two return safely, because we know that some people here would do if we didn't. Fortunately, not all of them were against us. But it has caused a little civil war in this town." He then took me to one of the white blankets at the far left side of the tent and motioned one of the soldiers to remove the blanket. The man did just so.

If I had my eyes, I would've cried right then.

"I see," I said. "You can cover him back now." The soldier did as I said. "Where is he going to be buried?"

"I don't want him to be buried here," Hakuro said. "Who knows what these people would do to his grave. His wife was buried in East City anyway."

"Do it then" I said. "Let him be buried with his wife."

"We got to make sure that we got all of the rebels," Hakuro said. He then paused. "Did the girl have any other living relatives?"

"I don't think so," I said.

"Tell her that she can go to Central with you two then" Hakuro said. "I'll call Colonel Mustang and tell him what happened. Tell her that we did the best to prevent this and we're sorry." I could tell that he was trying to sound sincere.

"I will," I said. "Thank you for everything." I then left the tent and headed back to the hill. I didn't want to stay in this place any longer. I quickly went to the shack, where I saw Brother walking toward me.

"Al, is he still alive?" Brother asked.

"Brother, we need to talk" I said. Brother then knew what I was going to say next.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Brother asked in a low voice. If I had my eyes, I would've broken down in tears.

"Remember when you heard gun shots?" I asked. Brother became aghast.

"He was killed right then?" Brother asked. I said nothing. "Those damn bastards! I should've went over and killed them all!"

"NO!!" I shouted. "If you did that, you would've been killed too! I don't know why he wanted to go here, but it may have to do with the revolt. Maybe he wanted to warn Sarah or us about it!"

"Yeah, I know" Brother said. "So how are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know," I said. I then saw her standing by the doorway. I then became very still.

"What is it, Al?" Brother asked. He then turned around and saw Sarah looking at us as if we had struck her in her heart. We probably did.

"I know everything now," Sarah said. "When I felt only your footsteps, Alphonse, I knew that he was dead." I said nothing. "Tell me, was the gun shots that your older brother heard, was my father the one that got shot?"

"Yes" I said. She immediately burst into tears and went back to the shack. I wanted to run after her but then I saw Brother hanging down his head.

"We really messed up, didn't we?" Brother asked.

"Yes, I mean no!" I said. "I mean, this did happen because of us, but we shouldn't be blaming ourselves. If everyone didn't try to attack the military, we wouldn't have to deal with this!" I felt like banging my head against the wall. Was I making sense anymore?

"Yeah" Brother said. "Let's go to General Hakuro now." He sounded very depressed.

"We should go tell Sarah that she can come with us if she wants to-" I started to say when Brother shook his head.

"We already messed up her life" Brother said. "We should just go back without her."

"Brother, we should go then" I said.

"Yeah" Brother said. "Let's go now." We then went to General Hakuro. Since it was him that ordered us to get her, he wasn't happy when he saw us alone.

"Listen, I know what it feels like losing a father," he said. "I've been there. But I also know that there's a bunch of those idiots still out there so don't come back without her, do you got that?"

"Al, why didn't you tell me we were ordered to take her?" Brother asked. He sounded like his cold was returning again.

"I'm so sorry!" I said. I would've cried if I could. I then saw Brother stop. "What's wrong, Brother?"

"SARAH!" I heard Brother shout. I then looked at the hill and saw a big ball of smoke go up into the air.

"A fire! Brother, could she be- Brother!" I said. I then saw him leave, so I ran after him. He was trying to run up the hill as fast as he could. He was still sick, so he only succeeded in making himself more exhausted. I had to pick him up and carried him up the hill. Despite his loud protests, I managed to get both of us up the hill before Brother decided to get off me and run to the burning shack.

"SARAH!" Brother yelled. He then stopped; the flames kept him from going further. I had no choice but to take over. I punched at the burning debris.

"SARAH!" I yelled. I didn't see or hear her. I then went back as a flame got closer, even though I couldn't feel it. Maybe it was just my human instincts or the fear that the blood rune inside my suit of armour would melt or burn. In any case, Brother became petrified.

"Al, get out of there!" I heard him yell.

"Okay!" I said. I then went back to Brother. "Do you smell anything burning, Brother?"

"I don't smell any flesh if that's what you mean," Brother said. "Maybe she escaped. If that's the case, then we should go back." He then stopped speaking and walked to a stone.

"What is it, Brother?" I asked. I then saw him pick a piece of paper from underneath the rock. I went beside him. "What does it say, Brother?"

"I think this is from Sarah," Brother said. "This looks like a map, but I can't figure out what these circles are." I then looked at the piece of paper.

It did look like a map- a cragged circle with a little knick off the north, likely because of the Brigg Mountains. As I looked at the circles, it then came to me what they may be.

"Brother," I said. He then looked up at me. "She wants us to know where she's going, so maybe she's telling us when she might arrive."

"Seven circles, oh, seven suns!" Brother said. "If that's true, then this means that she'll be at Central within a week! We should go back to Central as soon as possible!"

"Still, what happened to her shack?" I asked.

"There was no lightning strike," Brother said, observing the site. "It looked like it was burnt down on purpose."

"Maybe she did it so no one would find out about her research," I suggested.

"Al, you didn't say that we burned our house down to her, did you?" Brother asked.

"No, I don't think so," I said. I then looked at the wreckage. "But she's so much like us, don't you think?"

"Yeah" Brother said. He then looked up at me. "Let's go." I nodded.

"Okay," I said. I then heard Brother cough. "Are you alright?"

"I'm getting better, but I think I need another day of rest," Brother said.

"I guess General Hakuro will get mad at us again," I said. Brother then started walking down the hill. "Brother!"

"What is it, Al?" Brother asked.

"I should carry you down," I said. "You're still sick."

"I'll just be careful," Brother said. I then looked at the shack. It was still burning.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" I asked.

"I believe so," Brother said. "In any case, we can't worry about her now. She got her own destiny. We just have to reach our own."

"I know," I said. I could imagine her travelling alone, with perhaps only a bag for her long trip to Central. Would she arrive safely?

"Al, there's nothing we can do," Brother said as if he knew what I was thinking. "I got enough information for the Colonel. I just hope that would be enough to satisfy him."

"We should go," I said. "If she's going to Central, we have to inform the Colonel so someone will keep an eye on her arrival."

"Yeah," Brother said. "Let's get going." We then started walking. "I just hope that she knows what she's doing. At least she got legs to carry her there." I didn't say anything for a minute.

"I still think I should carry you down" I said. Brother gave me a dirty look.

"I'm perfectly fine by myself," Brother said. He then turned his head at me as he continued to walk. "I can just go down on my-" He then fell down the hill. I ran to the edge as quickly as I could.

"Brother!" I yelled. I then looked down and would've laughed if I had the throat to do so. Brother was doing cartwheels down the hill. He stopped when he hit a rock.

"Brother, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah" Brother said. "My butt and this rock stopped my fall!" He then tried to move his right arm. "I think I broke my automail! Winry's going to kill me!"

'Oh brother,' I thought. I then went down and helped Brother get up and go down the hill. It wasn't long before we were on a train to Central.

End of Chapter Five

I like to thank Rayame325 and Doko-sama for reading and reviewing the fic so far. I'm so excited that the next chapter will be the last chapter of this fic. Since I only had a few people reviewing, I'll just have review replies and author notes. Once again thanks to all who read and reviewed so far. Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Don't forget to review!


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